


Coming back late

by Milque



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Drunken Kissing, Kissing, M/M, Mental Breakdown, One Shot, you know all that sweet stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25164400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milque/pseuds/Milque
Summary: Reiji, once again this week, comes back home late and drunk. Ai helps him out, but a drunk Reiji is truly a handful, especially when all those pent up demons inside him rear their ugly heads.
Relationships: Kisaragi Aine/Kotobuki Reiji, Kotobuki Reiji/Mikaze Ai
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Coming back late

**Author's Note:**

> **Hello!**
> 
> This fic is something I've been thinking about a lot lately, ever since getting back into Utapri!  
> It's a short read, but even so, I really hope you can enjoy it!

Ai looked down to the clock in the corner of his screen as a loud noise of slamming door, followed shortly by something heavy hitting the ground, resounded from the corridor. It was 3:12 AM. _Just on time_ , he thought. He put his laptop away and made his way to exit his room and head in the direction of the clutter’s source, still managing to get surprised by the silence behind Ranmaru and Camus’s respective doors. The noise is more startling and louder every single night, and they still manage not to get woken up by it. Or perhaps they just choose to ignore it. He couldn’t judge them for it.

A strong stench of alcohol and tobacco smoke hit his odorant receptors, and only grew stronger as he neared the entrance door. It wasn’t anything new though. He sighed and stopped a few feet away from the figure sitting with its back pressed against the door.

“Reiji.”

The wreck of a man slowly rose his head up to look at him with unseeing eyes. Realizing who was calling his name, a wide smile stretched across his face. It looked like it hurt him.

“Ai-Aiii~!” he exclaimed, raising his arms in an invitation for a hug, but failing miserably as after a second, his strengths left him, his arms falling back down. “Can’t believe Ai-Ai came to see me!” he slurred hard.

“Be quiet.” He came closer and kneeled down on Reiji’s side, beginning to undo his jacket. “You’ll wake the others up.”

In response, the other just chuckled, his head falling to the left under its own weight. He let Ai silently finish undoing his jacket, and then slide it off his shoulder and hang it on the coat rack. Next, he took his shoes off as well and left them by the door. The younger man offered his hand, but it took Reiji a while to actually process it as reality.

“Let’s go.” Only then did he actually take his hand, Ai pulling him up with what seemed like no effort, just for him to trip on his own ankle. He grabbed and hugged onto his savior’s arm, latching to it like to a lifeline.

“Let’s go where?” he asked, successfully failing to find balance. The teal-haired man let him put, what he guessed was, the entirety of his weight on him, as he slowly but steadily led them to Reiji’s bedroom.

“To bed.”

“Ohh?” He laughed under his breath, pressing his cheek against Ai’s shoulder. “How lucky~! Ai-Ai is taking me to bed~” he said in a joking manner.

“I will leave you here.”

“Sorry, sorry!”

* * *

After a long battle, Ai finally managed to sit Reiji down on his bed, who seemed to have only gotten worse throughout their neverending journey. He let out his breath in a way a disappointed mother would. “How did you even manage to get all the way home?”

“Ohh, you know~” He chuckled. Ai didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to press it when the older man was in this state. He made a mental note to pry it out of him tomorrow, _if he even remembers anything by then_. Turning around, he was going to leave right away to get as much rest as he was able to, having already been risking it on minimum power for the past week or so, but the other’s voice made him halt. “Ai-Ai, wait!” He turned his head to see the brown-haired man making grabby hands gesture towards him, almost falling forward to the floor in process. “Stay with me some more~”

Usually, Ai would just scoff and go back to his room without even considering doing otherwise. But right now, he felt like he should just go along with Reiji’s wishes, knowing very well how vulnerable he can be after a late night like this. He sighed, and made his way to sit down next to his peer. “Alright. But go to sleep. It’s late and we both have work early tomorrow. I can’t afford to lower my performance due to your antics.”

“Aww~ So cold,” he laughed sadly, leaning against Ai’s side. “And yet you waited and stayed up for me again.”

“If I don’t ensure you make it to work tomorrow, Mr Hyuga will blame _me_ , not _you_ , since you won’t even be there.” He glared at him, hoping his drunken mind would understand what he was saying.

“Ahaha, you’re like my nanny!” He turned his head to look at Ai’s face, his gray eyes as unseeing as before, and yet he could swear they’ve become darker. “And I’m the one who’s supposed to look after all of you.”

“We’re not children, we can take care of ourselves.”

“And I can’t.” He smiled, and looked away instantly.

“Not when you’re in this state.” He sighed yet again. He's going to run out of air from the amount of sighing Reiji has him do by the end of the night, he thought. “You’ve been going out every night for the past week.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you not going to tell me why?”

“Nope.” He laughed softly. His laughter has been feeling so fake to Ai these days. It used to be so bubbly and contagious, and lately it became so off. Just a little too stiff, just a little too blunt, just a little too automatic. Like a nervous tic. He couldn’t be imagining it. “Don’t worry, Ai-Ai. There’s no reason.” He offered a wide smile in his direction, eyes closed. _A blatant lie_.

“If you say so,” he said.

“You’ve been so nice to me, Ai-Ai.” He pulled his legs up to sit cross-legged on the bed and face Ai directly. “Could it be you’ve…” he paused dramatically to wink at him, what seemed rather sloppy at the moment, “... taken interest in me~?”

“I’m leaving.”

“Noooo~” he quickly reached for the other’s hand and held tight. “I was just kidding~”

“...”

“But really,” he continued, “I appreciate that a lot.” He winked again. This time it looked much more coordinated.

“It’s nothing.” Ever since that time Reiji had almost left Quartet Night, they’ve grown much closer. Of course, they still teased each other and bickered on daily basis (especially Ranmaru and Camus) but the air around them felt much more lighter and warmer these days. "That's what friends do, I guess."  


“...” Reiji seemed like he wanted to say something, but instead kept looking at Ai’s face semi-consciously, his body wobbly and barely staying sat.

“You should go to sleep no-” he was cut off as the brown-haired man’s hand went up and found its place on his left cheek. If he was human, he probably would have jumped at that. “... Reiji?”

“...” he didn’t hesitate and held his hand in place, his thumb moving to caress the pale skin of the younger’s cheek. Ai’s systems heated up as he noticed the intense look in the gray eyes, piercing right through him. The hand moved further to the back of his head and higher, and he felt the shaky fingers fumble with the pin holding his hair up. The hairpin fell to the sheets

as his hair came undone, teal locks tickling the left side of his face, what he wasn’t used to. Ai couldn’t describe the feeling he felt as the older man’s expression changed. He didn’t know what the expression was. It seemed like sorrow, despair, his eyes were so intense and yet they seemed like they’ve lost their light. “... You look just like him.” His voice shook.

Even though he knew very well who the other was talking about, he wanted to ask “who?”, but it would stay as naught but intention as his mind went absolutely blank the moment he felt Reiji’s lips press against his own. Ai could taste the bitterness of alcohol with a sweet hint of some fruit. Melon? 

He put his hand on the other’s shoulder and pushed softly, just as a gesture. But it seemed to not be noticed, so he decided to just move away, breaking the kiss. “Reiji, stop.” Reiji moved closer almost instantly though, capturing his lips again, ignoring his words completely. He felt the older’s hand rest on his thigh for balance. He pushed him away, a little stronger this time. “Stop. I mean it.” The other then attacked his neck. He kissed and nipped at it, obviously knowing way too well what he was doing, because it made Ai feel like he was going to overheat. He let out a sigh when Reiji’s mouth sucked on a particularly sensitive spot. “Reiji, you’re highly intoxicated. You need to stop.” he kept trying. He really didn’t want to force the other to stop, he didn’t know how the other would take it in such drunken state of mind. He rather needed him to stop himself. He took a hold of Reiji’s free hand and interlaced their fingers, squeezing on it softly. “Please. I know you’re not like this.”

The other froze instantly upon hearing those words. He stayed still, not moving a muscle, for what felt like hours, but was probably just a minute. The brown-haired man moved back, but was still close enough for Ai to feel the heat radiating from his face, which was much more flushed than before, on his own. He kept looking at him. Into his eyes. Into his soul. Hoping. _Searching._ The gray eyes shone as they filled with unshed tears.

“Aine.”

Reiji threw himself to hide his face in Ai’s chest, embracing his midsection, clutching at his shirt in desperation. It took Ai a second to react, but eventually he put his arms around the other, using his one hand to stroke his back. The older man's frame shook with every muffled sob escaping his mouth. He was probably staining Ai’s shirt but the teal-haired man didn’t care for it at the moment. He just let him cry as much as he needed. He knew humans need it to deal with undesirable emotions, and just from seeing Reiji come back barely standing every night, smelling of alcohol and looking at Ai with such genuine longing, he knew that the man had quite a few of those pent up.

He didn’t know how much time had passed by the time Reiji’s uneven breathing became normal again and his hold on Ai became weaker. “Reiji.” No response. “Hey, Reiji,” he repeated, but once more, all he got in reply was silence. He took it as a sign the other fell asleep. 

Ai tried to be as careful and gentle as possible not to wake the other up as he moved him to lie down and put covers over him. Just before he left, he stroked Reiji’s messy hair and finally let himself actually relax, slumping his shoulders and sighing deeply. He really wasn’t suited for this. He moved away and was going to go back to his room, but a slurred mutter stopped him dead in his tracks.

“You’re not Aine, are you?”

“...” he hesitated. “No, I am not.”

“You’re just Ai-Ai.”

“... I apologize.”

With that the room fell silent again, and Ai left to his own.

* * *

He looked through the window and realized the sun was already starting to rise. Tomorrow was going to be a tough day for sure. He made his way to his bed, already halfway in the sleep mode, when he checked the time and date on his nightstand clock. He felt his systems freeze up just for a second at the realization hit him.

That’s right. How could he have forgotten? 

Today was the same day as when Aine went missing all those years ago, wasn’t it?

**Author's Note:**

> **Thank you for reading!**
> 
> Comments and kudos are very appreciated! I'm still a newbie at writing, so feedback means a lot to me!


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